Evelyn POV
“He may be your father-in-law Evelyn but if he keeps looking at the twins like that, I’m going to tear out his eyes…” Noah’s growl sounds off throughout my head directed at Reuben’s father. I refuse to look at Noah, to see his growing anger, there’s no need, I can feel it.
My eyes intensely watch the old Alpha King in front of me, the one that signed the marriage contract with my father. I’m keeping my wolf suppressed, she wants out, she wants to teach this old dog some new tricks.
“Evelyn…” Noah growls again in my head. To ease his concern, I very calmly move Rex and Elspeth behind Noah and Cassandra, then take a step forward myself to block them. I’d kill him. before he had a chance to lay a finger on my kids.
The movement, although gentle and smooth, snaps him out of his power glare on Rex…resulting in me now being on the receiving end of his stare. It’s a dangerous look with deep grey blue eyes, not as stunning as Reubens, more of a steel iron blue. A cold unfeeling metal.
“Is there a problem?” He smirks with a raised eyebrow, his voice faltering slightly, he’s feigning patience but the irritable sting is hard for him to remove. This man is used to getting what he wants, no matter how he gets it. He’s the complete opposite of my father and I’m hoping of Reuben too.
“No, no problem. They just don’t know you…and I’d like to keep it that way.” I keep my voice calm, no malice but the truth. He is nothing to them and never will be. Rex doesn’t need the Red Stone pack if it means he has to be connected to him. I’m starting to understand the childhood Reuben had to endure.
He flashes his teeth to me slightly, enough for my wolf to stay just beneath the surface. I swear by the moon goddess myself, he will not lay a finger on my children. Reuben gives a warning growl as he remains stood next to me, his eyes haven’t left his father once. Nate keeps a guarded watch from behind Reuben, readying to command the warriors at any moment. They follow the orders of the current King only.
“I believe we weren’t properly introduced before at the wedding…I’m Odin Carmore, Reuben’s Father.” His voice holds a sexist patronising tone to it, as if being a female I couldn’t put two and two together.
“I know very well who you are!” I spit back, adopting a more masculine tone to my voice. If he wants to play alpha, then I’ll play alpha back. Some people just don’t understand anyone else’s language but their own.
“Ha, I’m impressed Reuben.” His eyes dart down again to my breasts before glancing to Reuben. He keeps looking at my cleavage, something that keeps angering Reuben.
“Not only have you been managing the alliance I carved out with my bloody hands, but now it turns out you’re actually married to the competition. A job well done! I couldn’t have done it better myself.” He slams his clenched fist on the desk and laughs like a drunk king at a table banquet, full on wine and meat.
“What do you want?” Reuben growls, taking a side step to block me from the now turned sinister laughter of Odin.
“I’m taking the pack back….” His laughter stops as he takes on a serious tone, as he moves his feet off the desk and onto the floor.
“You clearly are in breach of the conditions set out to you. You’ve let packs leave to join the Silver Moon alliance. Good terms or not, you can’t lose packs to her. You’ve disgraced the legacy my father and I spent decades securing.”
“You can’t do that, we are still married..” I protest but stop when Reuben grabs my hand and squeezing tightly.
“Married with children it would seem. So these are my grandchildren?” He tries to look around Noah and Cassandra but they are shielding them well.
Reuben squeezes my hand again and I don’t need a mind-link with him to know what he is trying to communicate. Get the children out.
“Noah, take the children and keep them in the back with the warriors until I come out!” I command through the mind-link as Noah doesn’t waste a second.
“Daddy, who was that man?” Elspeth’s voice can be heard asking Noah for Odin’s identity as Nate follows them out, closing the door behind him. A grunt from Odin informs me that he wasn’t best pleased with our unusual parenting style.
“Bloody hell Reuben, you let them call another male their father?” There’s that venom I knew he wouldn’t wait to attack with.
“What makes you think they’re Reuben’s?” I sneer, my children are not objects to be collected by the Carmore bloodline.
My aggressive tone seems to have angers him. He stands up slowly, showing his dominance to me as he leans forward onto the desk. The wood creaking under his weight.
“Don’t insult my intelligence, the boy in particular has a strong wolf sitting under the surface. Earlier than usual…” He trails off looking towards the door they had just exited the office through.
“You need to leave, before my men escort you off my grounds. I’m the Alpha King, not you. That was the deal .” Reuben seethes through gritted teeth taking a step closer in a move just as dominant. He’s stronger, he’s younger, his wolf would kill Odin’s in a second.
“Very well, I’ll be back in touch…” Odin takes a lingering look at my neck before storming out of the office. I mind-link Noah to ensure he is at the back of the house as we both watch Reuben’s father hastily leave in a grey convertible car.
Once the dust has settled from his exit both outside in the courtyard and inside the office, I walk over to the office door and close it. Giving us privacy. Reuben continues to stare out of the window, maybe not trusting that his father had left.
“Reuben…” I start but he cuts me off.
“He’ll be back…I need you gone!” His words hit me like a knife, cold and unfeeling. They actually make me stagger back slightly, I’m terrified of any rejection bubbling under the surface.
Any words of protest are caught in the back of my throat, unable to come out. All I can manage is a gasp as I turn and reach for the door knob. My hand pulls back on the door, as a soft creak sounds out from the movement. Suddenly the door is slammed shut from behind me, the noise sounding no doubt through the house.
“Evelyn?” Noah’s voice enters my mind, to check on me.
“I’m fine, I won’t be long….he’s gone.”
“I’ll take the kids to visit Michelle, she kept her distance.” Noah says before cutting the mind-link.
“I didn’t meant it like that…” Reuben’s lips are by my ear, his scent tickling at my nose as his hand wraps around my waist.
“I meant, I need you and the children to be not here, anywhere but here. He’ll be back. It isn’t safe.”
“Reuben, he won’t challenge you, he can’t.”
I turn myself to face him, I’m trapped between the door and his muscular physique as he doesn’t speak. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. I can hear by his raging heartbeat that he is holding something back, a fear.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Reuben doesn’t get scared, so for him to have this level of fear attacking him right now, it must be big.
“He could come back, kill me and demand to raise Rex and be the regent.”
“No…” I gasp.
“…He wouldn’t do that.”
“Evelyn you heard him. I’m in breach of my duties as King in his eyes. I’ve not gone to war with you demanding the packs back. He’ll try anything and he now has something to fuel a fire. Some of the packs are very loyal to him still.”
“Then I won’t leave you.” I grip onto his clothing, pulling him closer to me.
“I need you to go my love, I need you to protect the children. To keep them safe “Reuben…” I almost laugh out, this was madness. I could help him stand his ground.
“I can’t lose you, or them. If that means giving up the title then so be it..” He emphasises his point further.
“Reuben, you don’t know what you are saying.” I shake my head in disbelief.
“I know exactly what I am saying.” His hands have moved to my face, cupping them tightly as if it may be the last time.
I don’t understand. My mind is struggling to keep up with the severity of the situation. Odin has gone. He hasn’t got men to command, he won’t be back. Reuben seems to be acting out of an aged fear.
“Reuben you need to calm down…I won’t let him kill you. He’ll have to go through me first.”